Cenote Calavera (Temple of Doom)

Q: How do you get into the water at Cenote Calavera?

Best by jumping in from a height of about 3 meters.

Q: How deep is Cenote Calavera?

Up to 17 meters. At around 13 meters you pass through a halocline.

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Key facts at a glance

Level: Advanced
Depth: max. 17 m (56 ft), halocline at approx. 13 m (43 ft)
Location: approx. 2 km west of Tulum on Highway 109
Cave system: Part of the Sac Aktun system
Price: 1x Carwash + 1x Calavera: 175 €; 1x Angelita + 1x Calavera: 190 €

Reviewed by Marcel Taubert, Course Director Instructor Trainer (SDI) · Updated: October 5, 2026

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Cenote Calavera Diving

Cenote Calavera diving with DeepDiveMexico: guided from Playa del Carmen, max. 4 guests per guide.

Level: Advanced
Depth: 17 meters (56 ft) max.

Cenote Calavera

Cenote Calavera is located approx. 2km west of Tulum on Highway 109. Calavera means skull, and this cenote was given the name because the sinkholes in the cave ceiling look like 2 eyes and 1 mouth, just like a skull.

Cenote Affiliation

This cenote, like the Grand Cenote, belongs to the world’s second-longest flooded cave system, Sac Aktun. However, Cenote Calavera diving already begins with another adventure. The water surface is best reached by jumping from a height of approx. 3 meters (10 ft).

Maximum Depth

From here, the Cenote Calavera dive leads in a wide arc around the ceiling indentation. The maximum depth is 17 meters (56 ft) max., and from approx. 13 meters (43 ft), you encounter the halocline.

Grotto Wall

What is special about this cenote are the formations along the grotto wall, which strongly resemble sculptures in a Modern Art Museum. Fine sediment on the grotto floor requires good buoyancy. In summer, algae form on the water surface and color the daylight area in a neon green play of light.

Planning Your Trip

The site is rated advanced. You can combine it with Cenote Carwash for 175 € or with Cenote Angelita for 190 € (two dives each). Carwash is a beginner site about 9 km west of Tulum, while Angelita, 17 km south of Tulum, is known for its hydrogen sulfide cloud at about 30 meters (98 ft).

Visiting Cenote Calavera (Temple of Doom)

Cenote Calavera, also known as the Temple of Doom, lies just outside Tulum on the road to Cobá. “Calavera” is Spanish for skull: seen from above, one large and two small openings in the jungle floor look like the eyes and mouth of a skull. Swimmers climb down a wooden ladder or jump into the water; divers usually enter through the largest opening.

Underwater, sunbeams fall through the openings onto the halocline at 13 m (43 ft), where fresh and salt water meet and the view blurs like a mirage. Because of the cavern setting, this dive is only for divers with good buoyancy. Most guests combine it with Cenote Carwash or Cenote Angelita on the same day.